Author's note: Thank you very much! This story's been having a lot of support. I want to thank to those who read and reviews. Please, keep the reviews coming. And special thanks to those who put this story in the favorite list: Castlegirl1213. Miham, my friend Brendan and XxStarg8rocksxX. You guys made my day.
This chapter explains how Renee's death was faked. I hope you don't find the story too crazy. I think this is how Renee should come back to 24 is they do another season (And I think they'll do it). BY THE WAY, much crazier things have happened on the show. This is actually very plausible by the show's standards.
I invite you all to re-watch Renee's death scene while reading the first scene of this chapter. You'll notice I'm not so crazy.
The scene where they take Renee to the OR was a bit difficult because everybody is kind of talking at the same time, and it's not so clear who is saying what. But I tried to reconstruct it the best I could.
Disclaimer: I don't own 24, and I don't own the characters. I'm just doing this for fun, I'm not making any money with it.
CHAPTER 02:
JUST BREATHE
May 21st 2018
New York City
Jack was getting water for Renee and himself. He was lost in thoughts. He had promised Kim to go to LA. with her. What would happen now? He wanted to be with Renee, and he loved his family as well. What could he do? What if he asked Renee to go to California with him? Would she agree? Would she think he was crazy, that it was too soon? It was so soon. They were just starting. But his feelings were very strong already.
His thoughts were interrupted by Renee's voice.
"Jack, you need to hear this. Samir…"
She stopped talking abruptly. Jack turned around, feeling confused. The first thing he saw was a bullet hole in his window. Then he saw Renee's feet. She was lying on the floor.
"Renee… Renee!", he yelled, running towards her, trying to dodge the bullets that the sniper kept shooting. "God!", he whispered when he saw her on the ground, with blood coming from her mouth. She was panting for air and wincing in pain. "Don't talk. I'll take you to the hospital".
He noticed his cellphone. Someone was still on the other side of the line. He grabbed it.
"Who is this?", he barked. For a moment, he thought it was the caller's fault.
"It's Chloe", his friend said, with concern.
"Chloe, it's Jack", he said. "Renee's been hit by a sniper, through the window of my apartment. We are still taking fire. I need a trauma team ready at St. Andrew now"
"Hold on. Stay with me", he asked her. "Come on" He scooped her up and carried her. "Let's go" He stopped merely for a second to think what to do next. They were still under fire. He decided not to care about that. The priority was to take Renee to a hospital.
He ran downstairs, two floors, with her in his arms, until he reached the lobby of his apartment.
"Keep everybody in", he told the stunned people in the lobby. "There's a sniper outside. Call 911. Now!"
Fortunately, there was a yellow taxi right outside.
"Move!", he yelled at some people who got in his way. He rapidly got Renee into at the taxi. "She's just been shot. We need to get to the hospital. St. Andree hospital. 22nd and 9th".
The driver naturally complied.
Jack held Renee in the back of the taxi. He could see the terror and the pain in her eyes.
"We are gonna make it", he promised. "Breathe. Just breathe". He could see in her eyes that she was giving up. She softly shook her head, as if saying no. "We are gonna make it. I promise", he promised one again. He was saying we because he realized he wouldn't make it without her. He needed her. He could tell her life was slipping away. He grew more anxious. He addressed the driver. "Do whatever you have to! We need to get to the hospital now!", he yelled with desperation.
The taxi driver accelerated and passed other vehicles.
Jack could tell that it was the end. Renee was losing consciousness.
"No. No. Come on. Come on", he whispered. Please, don't die on me, he thought. He held her closer to his body. Her face was touching his. "I got you". He rocked her in his arms and closed his eyes. "No. You'll be allright. We are almost there.".
Thirty seconds later, in the CIA headquarters, in New York City, Director Zackary Connelly was very busy. For the last three weeks, he had been investigating the president of Russia, Yuri Suvarov. The CIA spied on the Russians constantly. One day, they heard information about a possible assassination attempt on Omar Hasan at the hand of Kamistani rebels, with the support of Yuri Suvarov. But they couldn't do anything to stop it. They didn't have enough evidence to make accusations, or to act on what they knew. They didn't even believe the information was true until somebody tried to kill Omar Hasan the night before. Now, they had succeeded. The President of Kamistan was dead. The peace treaty was probably dead as well.
His second in command, Emma Lawson, interrupted his thoughts.
"Zack, you are not going to believe this!", she exclaimed.
"What happened?", he asked, and took a sip of his coffee.
"Agent Corday called. They were following that Russian diplomat, Pavel Tokarev…", she began explaining.
Zackary got anxious.
"Go to the point, Emma, what happened?"
"Tokarev shot a woman called Renee Walker. She's a former FBI agent who worked for CTU today", she informed, talking as fast as she could.
"Oh, God", Zackary said. "She must know something. Is she still alive?"
"Barely. She's been taken to Saint Andrew Hospital", Emma replied.
Without saying another word, Zack looked the hospital's number on the computer and made the call.
"St. Andrew", a receptionist picked up the phone.
"This is Director Connelly, from the CIA. I need to speak with your Chief of Emergency, now! A woman's life is at stake", Zackary said frantically, talking as fast as humanly possible.
The receptionist sensed the urgency and immediately communicated him with Dr. Evan Foreman, a hansom black doctor in his thirties. He was the head of the emergency department and surgical attending specialized in trauma surgery .
"This is Dr. Foreman", he said after picking up the extension.
"Doctor, listen to me. I'm Zack Connely, CIA director. A woman is being taken to your hospital right now. Her name is Renee Walker. She's the key witness of a CIA investigation"
"We'll do everything we can", the doctor promised.
"I need something from you", Zack said. "It is imperative that everybody thinks she's dead. You must save her life without telling anybody that you did, except the team that works in her. If she makes it, make everybody believe she didn't"
"This is all very strange", Evan said scratching his head. He couldn't fake a patient's death because some guy he didn't even know told him. "How do I even know you're who you say you are?"
"I don't have time for this", Zack said. "Do as I say. I'll go to the hospital later and corroborate my story. But this woman needs you to fake her death now!"
A nurse interrupted them.
"Doctor? Renee Walker arrived"
Evan rapidly addressed Zack.
"Come soon", he told the other man, with a sharp tone. He was still distrustful. But, just in case it was all true, he decided to humor Zack, for the moment.
Evan hung the phone and rushed to get a surgical mask. His team was bringing Renee Walker in a gurney. A very distraught man with a bloody shirt was following them.
"What do we have?", Dr. Pamela Cortez asked. She was a five-year surgical resident, specializing in trauma surgery.
"Five is prepped", a young male nursed answered.
"We are gonna take care of you", Dr. Donald Everett promised the patient. He was a surgical attending, but he specialized in cardio thoracic surgery.
"Five. Let's go", Pamela commanded.
"How many gunshots guns?", Evan asked.
"One in the chest", Nurse Delia Gunn answered. She then turned around to address the man in the bloody shirt. The guy seemed ready to join them in the OR. "Sir, you need to stay right here".
"Is the patient typing crossed?", Donald asked.
"No", Pamela answered.
"Call the blood bank, send up four units of O-negative", Donald ordered.
"Right away", Delia agreed.
"Come on, come on, come on!", another female nurse said.
"Let's go people", Donald said.
They got Renee into the OR and put her on the operations table. Evan observed how the others worked on Renee. A nurse gave her an unit of blood.
"What do you say, Don?", he asked, with concern. "Will she make it?"
"I think I can remove the bullet and repair the damage", Donald stated, with not much confidence. "It'll be tough. The pulmonary artery is pierced"
Evan sighed. He started preparing a syringe with amiodarone.
"Stay away from her, for now", he ordered, to everybody's surprise. He then gave Renee the injection. "I'm giving her amiodarone"
"Dr. Connelly! That will lower the patient's heart rate", Pamela pointed out, feeling alarmed.
"We need her heart rate to be imperceptible", Evan stated, talking fast "We need to tell everybody that she died. That guy who came with her will want to see the body".
Everybody stared at him in disbelief. They were astonished.
"Are you out of your mind?", Donald asked.
"We have orders from the CIA!", Evan said, feeling truly anxious. "I don't have time to explain. Just make her look dead. We have to tell the guy that she died and we have to do it now. So we can take her to another OR and actually save her life".
The nurses disconnected Renee from the machines and removed her IV. Delia somewhat cleaned the blood by Renee's mouth.
Everybody, slowly, left the OR looking miserable. They all hated what they were doing.
Jack was right outside, taking to Chloe over the phone. He saw the entire medical team leaving the OR after working on Renee for less than two minutes. He knew it was the end.
"I'll get back to you", he told Chloe, and disconnected the call.
Evan walked towards Jack, while the rest of the team remained behind, staring at them.
"I'm sorry. She didn't make it", Evan lied. "There was just too much arterial damage and blood lost. I'm very sorry". He walked away rapidly.
Jack felt like in the middle of a nightmare.
His throat was closed by angst. His chest was hurting.
He slowly headed to the OR, to see her one last time. He could hardly walk. He stopped by the door and gave her a look. She was lying on the operating table. She looked paler than ever. So still. So beautiful… even in death.
He got closer to her. He was making an effort to contain the tears.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, still warm. Her gorgeous pale blue eyes were shut down forever. He couldn't take it anymore. He rested his forehead in hers and broke down in sobs.
He thought of all the things they'll never get to do, of all the experiences they never share. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. Fifteen minutes before, they were in his bed, starting a life together. Now that life had been ripped away from them.
Somehow, he managed to stop crying.
He simply stared at her body, not wishing to say goodbye.
Pamela walked into the OR. She had been given the unpleasant task of kicking the grieving man out of the OR, so they could move Renee and operate on her. Normally, they would give the relatives a few more minutes to say goodbye, but the medical team was running out of time. They had to start the surgery.
"Sir?", she said. A wave of guilt hit her. The man looked devastated. "I'm so sorry. But we have to move her now"
Jack startled and looked at the woman. He didn't want her to take Renee away from her. He didn't want to stop looking at Renee.
"Sir, are you the husband of the deceased?", Pamela asked.
The question felt like a dagger in Jack's heart. He didn't know how to define his relationship with Renee. They had no official relation.
And that stung badly.
"No", he whispered sadly.
"Well, we need to contact the next on keen. Can you help us with that?", Pamela asked.
Jack looked at Renee one more time, wishing he could look into her eyes one last time. He wanted to get lost in her pale blue eyes.
"Do you know where her parents live? Are they alive?" , Pamela insisted.
Jack looked at the doctor. Every question that came from her mouth was like a kick in his stomach.
"I don't know" he admitted.
He realized how little he knew about Renee. He knew nothing about her family. He didn't know whether her parents were alive or not. He had only spent two days with Renee, and they had spent most of that time fighting terrorists and gangsters. They never had the chance to talk about her family her childhood, her hopes and dreams.
And that stung badly.
"Sir, are you gonna be all right?", Pamela asked, feeling full of guilt.
Jack didn't answer. He couldn't imagine ever being all right again.
When his wife died, he nearly died of angst. It was one of the most horrible moments of his life. It felt like the pain would never subside. But then he met Audrey. Against all odds, he felt better. He never forgot his wife. But the pain subsided. He got his smile back. He was back on track. However, he lost Audrey too. Once again, he felt his life was over. He felt the world ended the morning he walked away from Heller's beach house. Yet, he survived. He made himself strong again somehow. And then, he met Renee Walker… and he suffered a devastating lost… again.
Didn't they say "misfortunes come in threes"?
As he left the operation room, he wondered…
Would he survive this lost?
Nurse Delia interrupted his thoughts.
"I don't know if this will fit. I got them from an intern", she said, handing him a clean shirt and a pair of black boots. It wasn't standard procedure to give clean clothes to family members of gunshots victims. But everybody felt so guilty for lying to him.
"Thank you" he said.
He took the items and sat on a bench, feeling overwhelmed.
He saw the medical team taking Renee's body away from OR 5.
He buried his face in his hands and cried once again. I'll never see her beautiful face again, he thought.
When he stopped crying, he made a promise to himself: One by one, those who took her away from him would pay.
November 29th 2022
Somewhere outside Moscow, Russia
Jack and Belcheck arrived to a gorgeous cabin in the middle of nowhere. They walked into it.
Someone was sitting on a couch, waiting anxiously for them.
Jack widened his eyes and mouth, feeling astonished. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He was looking at Renee Walker.
She stood up, feeling nervous and scared. She didn't know how Jack would react.
"Hey", she greeted him. A tiny smile appeared on her lips. She was glad to see him again. She had waited over four years for this moment. Her life for the past four years had been about finding him, dreaming of him, thinking of him and longing for his touch.
He didn't say anything at first. He was speechless. Was he dreaming? Was he looking at a ghost? Was he insane? Had the Russians given him powerful drugs?
He observed her silently, in disbelief.
She looked exactly like she did on their last day together. Her stunning auburn hair was tied up in a messy coil. She was thin and pale. She was wearing too much eyeliner. Yet… she remained the most beautiful woman on earth.
"Hey", he whispered, finally.
She got closer to him. Tentatively, she caressed the nasty bruise on the left side of his face. Her eyes moistened. She also caressed his beard. He obviously hadn't shave in prison.
"Are you okay?", she asked him, with concern.
"I'm fine", he replied firmly. He took her hand and squeezed it softly, as if to check that it was real. With his eyes nailed in hers, he touched her face. He wanted to make sure that Renee was actually there. "You are alive"
Renee nodded. She placed her hand on top of his, which was still resting on her cheek.
Becheck cleared his throat awkwardly. He could tell he wasn't wanted.
"Well, you two have a lot to talk about", he said. "I'll be back tomorrow"
"Thank you, Belcheck", Renee said, with a tiny smile of appreciation.
Renee and Jack were left alone.
"This isn't possible", he said, shaking his head in denial. "I saw your body. You were dead"
She took his hand and led him to the couch. They sat down.
"The doctors gave me something to lower my heart rate, so I would look dead", Renee explained. "After you said goodbye, they took me to another OR and saved my life"
"Why?", Jack asked sharply, as anger built inside him.
"There were a couple of CIA agents who were investigating Suvarov. They found out about the shooting and put me in a witness protection program", Renee said.
"Oh, God", Jack whispered. "They reported that a key witness said a Russian diplomat was actually a gangster". He stared at Renee in disbelief. "It was you"
"Yeah", Renee confirmed. "But they never revealed my name".
Jack stood up. He paced around the living room. He ran his hands through his head. The implications of what had happened were hitting him.
"Why didn't you tell me?", he abruptly yelled. "Do you know what I went through?". He hit the coffee table. He was livid. He had been through hell unnecessarily. "Do you, or those clowns at the CIA, know how much I suffered? A pain of massive proportions! I can't even…." His eyes moistened. He felt a lump on his throat. He felt cheated. "How could you do that to me?"
"I couldn't tell you!", Renee said with tears in her eyes. "I was in a coma for three days. When I woke up, you were gone. Nobody knew where you were. So, don't you yell at me", she said angrily, pointing her index finger at him. "You killed all those people and disappeared, making it impossible for me to contact you".
Those words hit him hard. It had all been his fault. Overwhelmed, Jack took a seat in a nearby chair. He blinked rapidly.
"I didn't know where you were until I saw on the news that the Russians arrested you", she added, with a softer tone.
"It was all my fault", Jack said, feeling close to tears. "If I hadn't killed all those people, I could have gone to California, and you would have found me there. You would have told me everything. And my life wouldn't be ruined".
Renee got up from the couch, and kneeled next to Jack, resting her head on his lap.
"I'm so sorry", she repeated several times, in sobs. Her heart ached for him. "I ruined your life. If I had remembered Tokarev, none of this would have happened"
Jack kneeled on the floor next to her and held her tight while she cried.
"No. Nothing was your fault" he whispered as he held her. He stared into her eyes and lovingly wiped the tears with his fingers. "I chose to kill those people".
"For me" Renee whined, full of guilt.
"No. It wasn't for you", Jack stated categorically.
"Why did you do it then?", Renee asked.
Jack stood up and went to sit on the couch again. Renee took a seat next to him.
"I did it for me", Jack admitted somberly. "I did it because you made me happy and they took you away from me. And, damn it, I deserved to be happy. I served my country for decades. I sacrificed everything. I deserved to be happy. But they wouldn't let me. So I wanted revenge. I'm good at that. I thought it'd ease the pain". He sighed. "It didn't"
"I don't know what to say", Renee said.
"Then don't say anything at all", he whispered, remembering their last conversation in Washington DC. A tiny smile appeared on Renee's lips. They hugged once again. "Thank God you're alive"
"Thank you", she corrected him. She stood up, remembering something. "I have something for you"
She went into the bedroom and then re-emerged into the living room with a bunch of photographs in her hands. She handed one of them to Jack.
He looked at the first picture. It was a picture of Kim, with a big pregnant belly.
"That one was taken two years ago, before your grandson was born", Renee explained. She then handed another picture to him. "This one is more recent"
Jack looked at the most recent photo. In the picture, Kim had her hair longer, she was posing with Little Teri, who now had braces.
"Little Teri looks so big", Jack commented, all chocked up. He missed that lively kid.
Renee handed him another photo. It was a picture of a little boy, who was two years old. He was blonde and had pale green eyes.
"That's your grandson", Renee told him, softly. "His name is Jackson"
Jack couldn't say a world. He was so profoundly moved. His eyes sparkled with tears. He wanted to be with his family. But he couldn't. They wouldn't be safe.
"I lost them forever", he said, looking miserable.
Renee hugged him tightly, feeling terrible.
"I'm so sorry", she said.
For several minutes, Jack simply looked at the pictures of his family.
Later, Renee brought him a blanket, payamas, a towel, razors and a tooth brush.
"Jack, you should take a shower and go to bed", she suggested. "You must be exhausted"
"You look tired too", Jack commented, with genuine concern. He stood up and took the items she had brought for him. He put them over the couch.
"I'll be okay", Renee assured him, dismissively. She couldn't remember her last good night of sleep. "Anyway, you can take the bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch"
"No. No way", Jack objected with a firm tone. "I'll take the couch"
"Jack, you spent six months in a Russian prison", Renee pointed out. "You need a good night of sleep"
"Like you don't", he argued. He wouldn't give in.
Renee bit her lower lip and looked down. She then looked at Jack again. She slowly got closer to him.
"Maybe we should both take the bed", she whispered in his ear. She brushed her lips against his.
Jack kissed her back eagerly. But, soon, he started hearing loud voices in his head.
"There was another shooter and he got her, Jack"
"Too much arterial damage and blood loss"
"You're cursed, Jack"
"Sooner or later you are going to get back in the game, and my daughter will pay the price. Just like your wife did".
"I'm sorry. She didn't make it"
"I can't be around you. Anytime I'm around you, people die"
"Everything you touch ends up dead. One way or another"
"We lost Audrey"
He stopped the kiss brusquely and walked away from Renee. I have to protect her, he thought.
"I can't do this", he said, with his voice and eyes full of sorrow. "We can't be together"
Renee's heart broke in tiny pieces. He doesn't want me anymore, she thought. We've been apart for too long. He's over me now.
"I understand", she said, trying not to cry.
"You don't understand", he said. "I can't be with anybody. I destroy everything I touch. Everything I touch dies. My wife, Audrey, all my friends… and you are alive, but you almost died, while you were with me"
"That's crazy", Renee protested. "What happened to them, or to me, was not your fault"
"Don't you see? I'm meant to be alone", Jack stated, with a knot on his throat.
"Jack, please…", she said, as she got closer to him.
Their lips were merely inches from each other. Their foreheads touched.
Jack broke down in tears. He didn't want to reject her. But he had to, for her own good. It was excruciating.
"Please, Renee. Don't do this. Please. Just, go to the bedroom", he begged her, through his tears. She didn't move. "Please. Go to sleep. I need to be alone". He could see how hurt she was. Her lip was trembling. But he couldn't be with her. Not matter how badly he wanted to. "I'm serious! I have to be alone! I'm meant to be alone"
Renee decided to respect his wishes and went to the bedroom.
Jack sat down, buried his face in his hands and shed a few tears. He felt so powerless. He couldn't be with Renee, but he really wanted to. He was forced to stay away from her because he was cursed. He caused pain and sorrow to those who mattered to him.
He finally got up and went to take a much-needed shower.
Renee was lying in bed. Surrounded by darkness, in more than one way.
She felt the familiar pain on her left side.
She turned on the light and took the bottle of pills she had hidden on the pocket of her backpack.
She took four vicodins and swallowed them, without even taking a glass of water.
Soon, she was able to sleep.
To be continued….
Please, tell me what you think! Reviews are very appreciated.